Green Paw Prints
by werewolfsgirl
Summary: Derek's been gone for 4 years. Does he have a chance with Chloe? What has changed? There is danger too, but what is it?
1. Harleys

**Author's Note: This story is set 4 years after The Reckoning. Chloe is living by herself in a house by the woods (perfect for a certain someone don't you think?) about 15 miles outside a nameless but kinda big city (big enough that there's a few clubs and bars). Oh, I basically hate Aunt Lauren, so I'm not gonna have her in this story. She has been banned, excommunicated, blacklisted. Oh, and there will probably be similarities between this story and Crystal (to the new readers-a previous story I wrote). I loved some of the aspects of it, so I'll probably use them again, but make things more adult. The POVs will switch periodically in the chapters. And, I almost forgot, she is allowed into bars (can't remember which states let underage people into the bars, legally. She doesn't drink, so no one came come after me for that.**

**Forewarning: There will be some lemons in this story, don't know when but there will be Another warning…I love lemons (I normally call them toe-curlers, just in case there's a change of name in my stories). There will also be some character strengthening (especially to Chloe) and maybe some new powers.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Darkest Powers or any of the characters. I do own the added characters and will thoroughly enjoy tweaking the story plot. =)**

_Green Paw Prints_

Harleys

**CPOV**

After I had killed Dr. Davidoff, the Edison Group gave up and the whole experiment was shut down. That week everyone had split up. My Aunt Lauren took me back to dad's condo. Kit (Mr. Bae), Simon, and Tori found a place to live together (after Kit told Tori that he was her father and she didn't throw an energy ball at him). Derek took off to parts unknown. He said he needed to learn about being a werewolf…from werewolves. Even after we shared that amazing kiss, he still took off. I think that he went to The Pack.

God, I miss him. It's been four years since I've last seen him. I still keep in touch with Simon and them. Hell, they live about 20 minutes from my house. Normally, they come over for dinner twice a week. Simon keeps me up to speed about how Derek's doing. Why do I get reports about Derek instead of a phone call from Derek or any form of communication from him? Derek won't ever call me and I'm not allowed to call him. He gave the others specific instructions not to give me his number, which hurt me beyond belief and sucks because I'm in love with the stubborn ass. I've been in love with him since his first Change.

Anyway, speaking of annoying males…Where the hell is Jason? He was supposed to be here 20 minutes ago. He…My thoughts were interrupted when I heard the rumble of a motorcycle. I smiled. Jay's here. Finally! I walked towards the door, calling, "Jay, dammit! You could have called me to tell me you were running late! It's a good thing that I love…" I broke off as I opened the door. Jason wasn't standing there. Instead, there stood a man that was at least 6' 7", wearing biker boots, jeans, a dark gray tee, and a leather jacket. He had the greenest eyes…_Derek _was standing there, and he looked murderous. That didn't stop me from launching myself at him though.

**DPOV**

I was smiling as I walked up the stone sidewalk to Chloe's house. It was a big almost gothic, two-story house, painted a dark blue with a wraparound porch. It even had a circular room that made it look like there was a tower. At the base of the steps, there sat two large gargoyles. Their stony eyes staring at me, making me feel guilty. _Now is not the time to feel guilty…_I couldn't wait to see her. Four years is a long time. Will she even want to see me? _Of course she will. You are her friend. She'll be glad to see you._ I was still smiling…until I heard what she was saying."Jay, dammit! You could have called me to tell me you were running late! It's a good thing that I love…" You cold hear the affection underlying her anger. _Who in the hell is Jay? And what does she love about him?_ A fierce and scalding stab of jealousy and hate ran through me at the thought of Chloe in another man's arms. She was _mine, my mate_. I reigned in my temper, even if it was a little more difficult than expected. Simon had said that she was single, that I had a chance at convincing her that she belonged with me. _Shit!_ _What if I didn't?_

When she opened the door, my eyes probably did their best impression of a bug. I had to pick my jaw up off the floor. _This was Chloe? No fucking way!_ She was dressed in a strapless, dark red corset-looking thing that showed off her _very_ feminine body. I guess four years can do wonders. She had gained some weight but not in a bad way (and in all the right places). _She definitely wasn't a toothpick anymore._ She was wearing leather pants that looked like they were painted on and biker boots. Her hair was waist-length and it had different shades of red mixed in with the blonde and a few black streaks here and there. She had very little makeup on, but with the small amount she was wearing, she would give any woman a run for her money.

When she realized who I was, she launched herself at me. She hugged me with everything she had. I was a little surprised but I returned the hug. When she pulled back, she had a huge smile on her face.

"I am so glad to see you!" She was practically bouncing. "Come in." She said as she tried to tug me through the door.

As I walked in, I had to ask my most prominent question. "Who's Jay?"

"He's a friend of mine. We were supposed to go out tonight."

Out? Like a date? _Shit. ShitshitshitshitSHIT! OH, HELL NO!_ Calmly I said, "Really? Where to?"

"A club he's working at tonight." I must have looked confused because she continued. "He's a bouncer. He lost a bet with me and he owes me a night out."

"Oh." I was starting to wish for Jason's death. He was taking my woman out on a date? And I'm supposed to sit there and do nothing about it? _Well…she doesn't know that she's my woman and technically, she's not mine…yet._ I was just about to say something else when I heard the sound of a motorcycle come down the road. I could smell the male someone (I growled at that) who knocked on the door a few seconds later.

**CPOV**

I was so happy to see Derek. I just couldn't believe that he was here. Although…why was he here? I was just about to ask when I heard Jay's bike and a few seconds later, him knocking on the door. Derek let out a growl. It was so Derek-like that I just laughed. "That's Jason." I said as I walked to the door.

"Hey, babe." He said as he kissed me on the cheek and gave me a hug (small growl from Derek). Jay stood about 6' 4", he was built similar to Derek, just smaller, and he had tat sleeves. Basically, he looked like a biker. His dark brown hair was shoulder length and he had it pulled back in a loose ponytail.

"Hey, Jay. You're late."

"So? You look hot tonight." He grinned at me. He then looked over at Derek. "Who are you?"

As usual, Derek didn't answer. "Jay, Derek. Derek, Jay."

Jay knew about Derek. He knew what he was and how I felt about him. After I said Derek's name, I could have sworn that Jay's eyes were about to fall out of his head. "Seriously? That's Derek?" He pointed.

"Yup."

"Honey, you weren't lyin'."

"I told you. But no, you wouldn't believe me. You thought that I was exaggerating. I don't exaggerate. That's your job." I glanced at Derek. His face was a mask, but I could tell from his eyes that he was beyond confused.

Jay glanced at Derek, then he grinned mischievously. He slid his arm around my waist, looking directly at Derek, and pulled me closer. Derek started growling and started to advance. _What is up with him?_ Jay's grin widened. Oh good lord, he was testing Derek? I smirked. _I'll fix him._ I grabbed the arm that was around my waist, spun and yanked, successfully flipping him. While he was still trying to process what happened, I pulled my knife, straddled him and held it to his throat, jokingly. He started to laugh.

"I forgot that you could do that. By the way, from where did you pull the knife?"

I chuckled and gave him a hand up. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Yes, I most definitely would."

"Not telling." I teased, causing him to mock pout. I glanced at Derek. He looked shocked. "Jay? Would it be okay if we met up with you later tonight, that is if it's okay with Derek? I would like to catch up with him." I glanced over at Derek and he nodded his approval. "Jay, you workin' at Jack's? Till closing?" It was about 6:30, we had plenty of time.

"No problem, hon. And yeah, I'm working until closing. Jack's got drink specials tonight, so he's staying open even later than normal." He grinned. "He told me to tell you, and I quote, if you wanted to grace his stage with your beautiful ass and voice, your night will be on the house."

I laughed. "Tell Jack that I'll be in later, maybe around 10 or 11, and that I will take him up on his offer."

Jay gave me another hug and left with a roar of his engine. I turned to Derek. "So…"

**Ooooohhh, my first cliffhanger. Like it? Love it? Hate it? Want to flame me? Does anything need improvement? Review please. **

**P.S.- I might update again tonight, not sure though.**


	2. How Have You Been?

**Author's Note: I really like this story but I'm not sure what the danger will be. I have a few ideas that I need to hammer out and nail down. Until then, I'll wing it and see where it goes.**

**I love Harleys and biker boys. So, if my story reflects that, I'm not sorry. Besides, I can picture perfectly Derek riding up on a Harley, looking like his sexy self and wearing leather…you see where I'm going with this? (drooling…)**

How Have You Been?

_**Previously**_

_**CPOV**_

_**Jay gave me a hug and left with a roar of his engine. I turned to Derek. "So…"**_

DPOV

So…How have you been?

I was still trying to process what had just happened. Chloe…fighting?…and winning? What. The. Hell? Jay was a biker? What was Chloe doing hanging around this guy? What was the whole thing about Chloe not lying? Did he know about me? If so, why does he know? Did Chloe talk about me? Was that good or bad? I needed to find out and fast.

When I didn't answer, she smiled and told me to follow her. As we walked through the house, I started to sort out what I saw and smelt. Chloe kept everything clean and tidy, but it was comfortable and friendly. Her living room was done in black, green, and purple and it had a large fireplace that was made of a dark stone. The carpet was forest green, and her black couch was huge and plush. She had various pillows on the couch that were designed with the three colors. The curtains were a light purple, almost lavender with smoky swirls on them. On the mantle were figurines…of sorcerers, witches, a large ghost in the middle…and wolves. She had figurines representing us four? She had pictures of memories on the wall. _I'll have to look at those later._ I smelled Chloe, of course, although, something was different about her smell, like something was added, I just couldn't place it. I also smelled Tori and Simon. And Jay…a lot of Jay, like he spent an ungodly amount of time here. _Not good. _She led me into the kitchen. A huge kitchen. A kitchen big enough to cook for an army. The whole thing was blue, shades of blue, with splashes of bright colors here and there. The countertops were dark blue marble and the cupboards were baby blue, and the curtains were a royal blue. She had a humongous fridge. It was stainless steel and was the size of two normal fridges placed side by side. _I have to get me one of those._

"You hungry?" She asked while looking in the fridge. As if to answer her, my stomach growled. She glance at me over her shoulder and smiled. "Let's make a deal. While I cook, I'll talk. Then after you eat, you talk. Deal?"

"You're gonna cook?" _Is it snowing in Hell?_

"Yes, I'm gonna cook. Didn't Simon tell you I could?"

I shook my head, no. _He told me that if I wanted to know what was going on with Chloe, I had to come back and go ask her._

"Huh." She shrugged. "Whatever."

"What's with you and Jay?" _I need to know_.

"Patience. I'll get to that." She smiled. "Now sit." I had two choices. I could sit at the breakfast nook and be closer to her or I could sit at the huge table. The table would seat at least 10 people. "So, do we have a deal?"

I couldn't say no to her. "Deal."

**CPOV**

"Deal."

I knew that I wouldn't get any answers out of him if he was hungry. Food made him more willing to talk._ Werewolves._ I thought with a head shake. "So…Do you still eat as much as you used to? I need to know how much to make."

"Yeah." No one could ever accuse Derek of wasting words. Some things never change.

"Ok. Well, what has Simon told you?"

"Not much. Just that you gave up on directing."

"Well, I guess that I'll have to start from the night we all split up." I pulled a pick pack of cube steaks out of the fridge. "After Aunt Lauren took me to my Dad's, I tried to go back to what used to be normal. After everything that happened, what we went through, I just couldn't. So, I convinced my dad that I should be homeschooled. I earned my diploma within a year. Then, I left."

I paused to dip the meat in the flour and spices and started to fry the steaks and turned the oven on. While peeling potatoes, I continued. "When I left, I got an apartment in the city and I got a job in a book store. In my old apartment building, my next door neighbor was a lonely little old lady. Her name was Isabella. Well, one day, she cornered me in the hallway. She said that in exchange for some company, she'd teach me to cook. After she offered me the deal, she said, and I quote, you are too skinny and all the processed foods that you've been eating is unhealthy for you. So, I kept her company and learned to cook everything from scratch." I chuckled, thinking of Izzy, the tough old woman. I flipped the meat and threw the chopped potatoes in a giant pot. Then continued to peel and talk. "She reminds me of you. Honest, but blunt." I smiled at Derek. He half-smiled back. "So life went on like that for a while. I went to work, came home, talked to Simon, Tori, and Kit every once in a while. Then one night, as I was walking home, three guys grabbed me. They drug me into an alley and tried to rape me." I cringed at the thought. Derek started to growl. "Well, Liz showed up and she tried to help, but she couldn't do much. Then, out of nowhere, some guy is there. He sees what's going on. He then proceeds to beat the shit out of those guys, using some form of martial arts. He paid special attention to the main guy, the one who almost raped me. He literally set the guy on fire. Sometime during the fight, I had gotten bit. After he got rid of the guys, he took me inside one of the buildings through a side door. The place was a bar that he worked in. He took me to the bathroom and helped me get cleaned up." I threw the rest of the potatoes in the pot, started them so that they'd boil, and flipped the meat again.

"The guy was Jay. He made me wait till he got off work so that he could take me home." I glanced at Derek. He looked murderous…and guilty. _Guilty for what?_ "Jay made sure that I was okay, then left. The next day, I went down to the bar. I wanted to thank him for what he did." I took the steaks out of the skillet and put them in the oven and started to fry some more. "I mean, he went the extra mile. He could have sent me on my way after he pummeled those guys. He was so gentle with me. I thought that the least I could do was buy him lunch for helping me. While we were eating, we started talking. Liz showed up and I noticed that he saw her, too. If I wasn't looking right then, I wouldn't have noticed him look at her. Liz told me that he was a necromancer, that she could see his glow, but that he was also something else. After we left the diner, I asked him. He told me that he was half necromancer and half fire-demon. That explained how he set the guy on fire.

After that day, he started to help me hone my powers so that I would be able to control them better and not raise the dead in my sleep anymore. I can also bring people back from the dead and I can also take life away. There are limits to that though. I can tell if a person's basic nature is good or evil. I can only take evil out of the world. I never do that, but the anonymous tip phone line has had some luck." I smiled. Derek was being awfully quiet.

"Well, one day during practice, I collapsed in pain. Turns out that the guy who bit me was a werewolf. The virus reacted weirdly with my necromancer genes and didn't turn me into a werewolf. Instead I'm a hybrid of some sorts. I have the strength that comes with being a werewolf, but when I Change, I can turn invisible and I can also enter the spirit world. I can do this whenever I want. After I Changed, Jay taught me how to fight. During all that training, we got close. Now we're like brother and sister." The steaks were done. Using the grease (from the steaks), I started the gravy. "I moved out here about a year ago. I hated living in the city, but I didn't want to live in the boonies, so I moved here. This house is perfect for me. I became an author, and I write paranormal romance. Evidently, my readers really like the supernatural world." I chuckled, thinking that they thought that everything was fantasy.

"When I'm not writing, I'm babysitting for the neighbors or visiting with Izzy. Anyway, once I moved out here, Simon and Tori started to come over more often. Jay did too. Simon and Tori come over twice a week for dinner, and Jay comes over about three or four times a week for dinner, depending on his schedule." I finished the mashed potatoes and gravy and put everything on the table.

I handed Derek a plate. "Dig in.' I smiled at the expression on his face. He looked dumbfounded that I just cooked him a meal and that it smelled wonderful.

**DPOV**

After hearing Chloe's story, I was speechless. When I heard about those guys…I saw red. Literally. It was all I could do to keep my ass in the seat and not run out the door to go rip some heads off some bastards. Then I felt guilty for not being there to protect her, to protect my mate.

What she said about Jay, the training, getting close to her. I was bristling with jealousy. I mean, I was happy that she had someone to show her how to control her powers, but I was not okay with the "getting close" part. It felt better than good to hear that they wee like brother and sister. After all, Chloe is _my mate_. The idea of her with anyone else is unbearable.

I almost came unglued when she told me she was bit by a werewolf. I was shocked when she told me that she's a hybrid and not a werewolf. What the fuck did those scientists do to her that caused that? _Calm down. They're gone, so you're not going to get that answer. Just be glad that she doesn't have to go through the pain of Changing._ Her other powers that she described…I have never in my entire life heard of that. Again…What the fuck did those scientists do to her?

Her story was amazing. She was a really strong person, to be able to deal with all that, and most of it she did by herself. I felt a sense of pride that she went through all that and came out stronger and not bitter, that she didn't lose herself. And I couldn't believe that she had told me she had almost been raped while making me dinner.

When she set the food on the table, I couldn't believe that Chloe had actually cooked all of it, and that it smelled amazing. When she told me to dig in, I did not hesitate in the least to do as she commanded. It tasted as good as it looked and smelled.

"This tastes great." I barely got that out between my second and third helpings.

"Good. Enjoy. Oh, there's dessert, too."

I glanced up. "Dessert?"

"Yeah. Apple pie or brownies." She eyed me and smiled. "Or both."

By the time I was ready for dessert, I had eaten four cube steaks and I had finished off the mashed potatoes, and all of it had been smothered in gravy, enough to make your arteries scream in protest.

"Got room for brownies or pie?"

"Yeah. Can I have some of each?"

"Sure." She smiled at me like she was indulging a little kid.

"I've been living on canned food for the last four years." She looked at me with surprise. "You have no idea how good it was to eat some real food for once." I smiled at her.

She smiled back. _God, she's beautiful. I'll be lucky if she accepts me._

"Well, in that case, you get all the desert you want."

I had the last two pieces of pie and four brownies. I had eaten so much that I was actually full. Full? Really?

"You okay? You look kind of surprised and confused."

"Yeah. It's just that this is the first time that I'm actually full."

Chloe just sat there and laughed at me. She laughed so hard that her eyes started to tear up. When she finally got herself under control, she tried to explain. "You looked and sounded so confused as to how you were full. I thought that you looked like a lost puppy. The mental picture was too funny." She giggled again, causing me to chuckle. _She has a cute laugh._ "Okay, now spill."

"Fine. But there isn't much to tell. After your story mine will probably bore you to tears, but here goes. After I left, I went to The Pack and talked to the Alpha. I explained what happened to me from the Edison Group, and that I really needed to learn about werewolves so that I didn't hurt anyone again by accident. He eventually accepted me into The Pack. He sent me to a more remote area to train under an older werewolf. He taught me about everything to do with werewolves, you know things about our basic nature, traits, etc.. He also taught me how to Change at will and how to fight. I spent three years there, Then, when he said that I had learned all that I could from him, I left. The Alpha had "requested" that I come back after I had finished my training. He told me that he had heard great reports from my teacher, and that he wanted me to continue my training. He sent me to a few other werewolves for the last year. After my training was finally finished, the Alpha tested me. I have no idea what the test was, but he said that I passed. Then he made me his beta. If the Alpha is away, I'm in charge. A few days ago, I asked if I could come and visit my family. Now, I'm sitting in your kitchen."

"That's great, Derek. I'm really happy for you."

I looked at her. She was smiling, but there were shadows in her eyes. "But what?"

She sighed. "Derek, what are you doing here?"

_Did she not want me here?_ Something in my expression must have given me away, cuz she hurried to explain. "Don't get me wrong! I'm glad that you're here. I really missed you. What I meant was why are you here and not visiting Simon and Tori? They're you family."

"You missed me?" Am I hearing things?

"Of course I missed you! You're one of my best friends." She looked like she was about to cry.

"Chloe, are you okay? Did I do something wrong?"

"I'm okay. I just want to know why you locked me out of your life for the last four years."

"Well, I wanted you to be able to live as normal a life as possible. I thought that me being a werewolf would hinder that." I smiled ruefully. "Turns out I didn't need to worry about that, since you got bit. Plus, where I was at, the reception was horrible and the old werewolf didn't like phones."

"Well, I'm glad that you're here, but I want you to know something. The fact that you cut me out of your life like that, even after all that we've been through together, really hurt me. You really hurt Derek." Then the tears did start. _Shit!_

I got up and went around the table. I pulled her into my arms and held on. "Chloe, I never wanted to hurt you. I never meant to do that when I made those choices. I promise to never cut you out again, okay? Please don't cry."

She nodded and stepped out of my embrace and smiled at me. "I need to go fix my makeup then we can leave. I'll do the dishes later. We don't have time right now. It's 10 and I want to go see Jack and the boys. If I know him, and believe me I do, he's getting antsy. After she came back out, she looked even better than she did earlier. She was wearing a black leather jacket and she was carrying her helmet. I smiled at the artwork it held. Simon had designed a ghost that vaguely looked like Chloe. "Let's go. I can tell you how to get there."

And with that we left to go see Jack. _Whoever the hell that is._

**Like it? Love it? Hate it? Review please.**


	3. Almost Bar Fights and Hell's Angels

**Author's Note: In the first two chapters, I wanted to set Chloe up as well-known. I think that I accomplished that, you know, bringing Jack and the guys and the "night on the house". I also wanted to establish that Derek was very important, both to Chloe (and he doesn't know that) and to The Pack. So…Yay! I accomplished my goals and I like the direction that I'm going with the character strengthening and the plot! Oh and if Derek seems a little out of sorts, it's because he's not used to the more bold Chloe. She's still shy, but if she's around people that she knows and loves, she's more outgoing.**

**I couldn't wait to write this chapter. I'm hoping that I can work some almost fights in here, make Derek even more jealous, maybe have some interrupted Chlerek. Oooohhh, I'm mean. They might get interrupted. *smiles mischievously***

Bar Fights and Hell's Angels

_**Previously**_

_**And with that we left to go see Jack. Whoever the hell that is.**_

**CPOV**

We walked outside, with me leading the way over to Derek's Harley. It was gorgeous. It was black and chrome and it had a wolf howling at the moon painted on the tank. It stood a about six inches higher than a normal bike meaning that it had been custom made to fit Derek. Absolutely beautiful. I was admiring the artwork when Derek walked up behind me and must have seen one of my arm patches.

"What the hell is on your arm?" He demanded, pointing to a specific patch.

He was pointing at…"I'm a honorary member of the Hell's Angels." I smiled. "Is there something wrong with that?"

He looked flabbergasted. "How the hell did you get involved with them?"

"Well, for one, Jay's a member and I'm known around town as his little sister and the fact that I've helped a few of the other members out now and then, they made me one of them." I smiled at him. "About half of the members are half-demon. Gives a whole new meaning to the name doesn't it? Oh, and by the way, the bar we're going to is like half biker bar and it's a little rock n' roll, country, and karaoke. It's a local supernatural hangout. All species are allowed in, but you have to behave and if there's a fight, you go out the back way into the woods where you can fight and no human eyes can see."

"Wow." He looked intrigued and pissed at the same time. He hopped on the bike and started it up. After he was settled and had a hold on the bike, I climbed on and put my helmet on. Since there wasn't a back brace, I had to lean forward and wrap my arms around him. He tensed at first then he relaxed and we took off.

We arrived at Jack's about 15 minutes later. He parked and I hopped off. We left out helmets with the bike and were about to walk in when I remembered something important. "Derek, there are always other werewolves in here. They won't start anything with you unless you threaten them verbally. It's one of Jack's rules that anyone can come in and have a good time, no matter the species, unless they start to act stupid, then he'll personally kick ass and forget about the names."

He nodded and we walked in. Within seconds, I was hoisted off the ground and draped over someone's broad shoulder. Only one person does this…"Jack! Damn you! Put me down or I'll be forced to hurt you." I tried for a serious tone, but I couldn't help the laugh that escaped. I heard a growl and looked through the curtain that was my hair to see Derek standing there, glaring at Jack with his fists clenched.

Jack noticed as well. Not good…Jack was a werewolf, too. "You might want to rethink what you're about to do. I can guarantee you'll get your ass kicked if you try anything." He set me down and faced Derek.

I stepped up to Derek and placed my hands on his chest. He looked down at me and I could see the fury in his eyes. "Der, you need to calm down. Jack didn't mean me any harm. He was just playing. He always does that, it's his form of hello." I could feel some of the tension leave his body. "You should be able to smell that he was just fooling around." The rest of the tension did leave his body at that, the anger left his eyes, and he nodded. I smiled and stepped back. I looked at Jack and he was looking at me asking me with his eyes if everything was okay. I nodded.

"Jack, Derek. Derek, Jack." Jack's eyes widened, fractionally, as he recognized the name. Then he looked like a father sizing up his daughter's new boyfriend, deciding if he was good enough for her. He looked at me and mouthed "he'll do". I smiled at Jack and gave him a hug. Well, one down, five more to go…

**DPOV**

I couldn't believe that Chloe was a member of Hell's Angels. I should have known that Jay was behind that. It surprised me a little to know that she had been helping some of the members, well not really, that's just who Chloe was. She was selfless and genuinely gave a shit. I was living proof of that. I was curious about a supernatural hangout. All species were allowed in? Was the owner begging for trouble? No wonder he needed bouncers.

When Chloe climbed up behind me on the bike, and I felt her thighs on either side of my waist and her arms wrap around my torso…I tensed, fantasies flashing through my mind…Chloe beneath me, me driving into her … I shoved those images aside. _Now was not the time._ I forced myself to relax and we took off.

When we got there the place looked like it had good business and it wasn't a sleazy-looking place. Chloe gave me a warning before we walked in though. She told me that there were other werewolves that hang out here (I could already smell them), but that they wouldn't start anything if I didn't threaten them verbally. One of Jack's rules? _Who says that he can kick my ass? No way would he be able to._

Within seconds of walking into the place, Chloe was being manhandled. She was thrown over someone's shoulders. I wanted to rip the man's arms off and shove them up his ass for touching her. I was about to do exactly that when I heard Chloe speak to him. "Jack! Damn you! Put me down or I'll be forced to hurt you." That didn't sound threatening when she was laughing. I calmed down, fractionally. She knew the man. But I was still pissed and jealous. He was allowed to touch Chloe, freely, and I couldn't. I couldn't hold back the growl that escaped. She looked at me and must have seen how angry I was. Her expression went from playful to one of worry.

The man, Jack (I smelt that he was an Alpha), noticed me and his nostrils flared. He knew exactly what was going on with me. "You might want to rethink what you're about to do. I can guarantee that you'll get your ass kicked if you try anything." He set Chloe down and turned to face me, preparing for an attack. Chloe stepped up to me and put her hands on my chest. "Der, you need to calm down." I did need to calm down. I was on another pack's turf. _But he was handling Chloe…_I needed to seriously talk to her. _Later…_ I tuned back into what Chloe was saying. She was saying that jack was fooling around; he didn't mean her any harm. I started to calm down. She was right. I could smell that he didn't want to harm Chloe…in fact, he smelled like he was protective of her. I calmed down after that. There wasn't any reason the act up…yet. Chloe smiled and stepped back. _God, that smile…_

I saw a look pass between the two. "Jack, Derek. Derek, Jack."

Then Jack was staring at me, sizing me up. He stood about 6' 5" and was broadly built. He had a crew cut and a large scar that ran down one eye and halfway down his scruffy cheek. He exuded an attitude that said "don't fuck with me". Then he mouthed something to Chloe and she smiled and hugged him. I stiffened. _I really didn't like other males touching Chloe._

She ran over to the bar to where Jay was sitting and jumped on his back. He didn't even flinch, like she did that all the time. It was quite a picture, Jay sitting on the stool, nursing a cup of coffee and Chloe hanging on him with her feet dangling in the air. She snagged the rubber band from his hair and took off running. She ran over to one of the tables where five men sitting and talking. Not men…werewolves. I went to stop her, but before I could, she had reached the table and was sitting on one of the guy's lap. _What the fuck is she doing?_ _Why is she sitting on some guys lap? _A jab of envy pierced my gut. The guy wound his arms around her waist and kissed the top of her head.

I couldn't take it any more. I stalked over to the table and yanked Chloe off of the guy's lap. All of the men at the table stood up and started growling, warning me to back off. I growled right back, low and menacing, telling them that she was mine. Chloe looked at me, and she had a small smile on her face. _Why is she smiling?_ I didn't have time to contemplate this. One of the others had moved forward to grab Chloe, and I quickly moved her behind me. She wasn't having any of that though. She quickly ducked under my arm and went and stood in front of the one that she had sat on.

"Derek, there's no need to freak out." She waved to the men behind her. "They are my brothers."

Well, that explains everything. Not. "Brothers?"

She smiled. "Yes, brothers. They are the sons of Jack. He is like a father to me and they are my brothers. We are pack." Her smile turned sad. "I love my father, but he was never there and he was never cut out to be a father." One of the guys moved and pulled her to him to comfort her. She smiled at him. "So, they sort of adopted me into their pack. Ooh, introductions."

She was interrupted before she could start speaking. "Hey, did you say that his name was Derek?" One of her "brothers" inquired.

"Yeah, this is Derek." Every one of the guys stood up straighter and glared at me. _What the hell is going on? Does everyone here know me? How? And why do I keep getting glared or stared at?_

She continued with the introductions. They all looked alike, were good looking, and they were built similar, the only difference was the height and hair color and a few scars here and there.

Rafe. He was the oldest, and he was at least 6'4", he had blonde hair and a jagged scar on his temple.

The next was Kenyon. He was about 6'2" with jet black hair.

There was Lupus. He was about 6'5" with sandy brown hair and a scar down the right side of his face.

Then there was Zeff. He was about 6'6" with dark brown hair and four scars on his neck, like someone had clawed him.

And the last brother was Randy. He was about 6'5" and he had dark red hair.

They were all still glaring at me.

**CPOV**

It was amusing to see Derek act possessive. I had known that he would be overprotective, but damn, I didn't know that he'd act like that.

My brothers were giving Derek a death glare. Crap. I knew that they would act up if he ever came back around. They did not approve of leaving your mate, no matter what was going on. I had tried to explain the situation but they were stubborn and wouldn't listen to me. They also didn't like the fact that him cutting me off like he did hurt me and that I had been waiting on him for the last four years.

"Guys…quit it." They didn't even acknowledge me. "Hey, if you five don't knock it off right now, I will never babysit or cook for any of you again." That got their attention. They all (well, the three that were married) loved their families, but sometimes, they needed to go out with their wives and not having a babysitter that can handle baby werewolves tends to keep you from doing that. The two that I cooked for, well, we all know that werewolves loved food. They nodded and sat back down.

"Hey…" Kenyon was up to something. "Didn't you come here to sing?"

"Yeah, sis, didn't you promise Dad that you would?" Rafe was no help.

"Ugh. Fine. I'll go sing. If any of you make fun of me, I will tell the appropriate people and you will all be punished." I grinned remembering the last time that I threatened this. Not one of them thought that I was serious and they paid the price. The three married ones suffered the most.

"Hey, Derek, why don't you sit with the guys and I'll be back in a few minutes. Apparently, my brothers have the desire to see me sing."

"Fine, but you have some explaining to do later about a few things."

"I know. I have a few things to show you too." I gave him a grin and made my way to the stage. I glanced over my shoulder and the guys were grilling Derek. I shook my head and went to pick a song.

**DPOV**

_What did she mean that she had a few things to show me? And why did she grin like that?_ As soon as she left, her brothers started an interrogation. I tried to answer their questions, but I didn't want to talk to them. I wanted to talk to Chloe, find out what she meant by that last comment. Many interesting possibilities…

All of a sudden, the guys started clapping and cheering. Then the other people in the place realized what was going on and started clapping and cheering, too. Chloe had just walked on the stage.

"Have you ever heard Chloe sing before?" Lupus inquired. I shook my head no. "Hang on then. You're in for a real treat." Then he grinned and went back to watching her.

The crowd went silent. Then the song started to play and Chloe started to sing. I could why everyone had been cheering. Her voice was beautiful and had a smoky tone to it. She was singing the song I Hate Myself For Loving You by Joan Jett.

_Midnight, gettin' uptight. Where are you?  
You said you'd meet me, now its quarter to two  
I know I'm hangin' but I'm still wantin' you.  
Hey, Jack, It's a fact they're talkin' in town.  
I turn my back and you're messin' around.  
I'm not really jealous, don't like lookin' like a clown.  
I think of you ev'ry night and day.  
You took my heart, then you took my pride away.  
I hate myself for loving you .  
Can't break free from the things that you do.  
I wanna walk but I run back to you, that's why  
I hate myself for loving you.  
Daylight, spent the night without you.  
But I've been dreamin' 'bout the lovin' you do.  
I won't be as angry 'bout the hell you put me through.  
Hey, man, bet you can treat me right.  
You just don't know what you was missin' last night.  
I wanna see your face and say forget it just from spite.  
I hate myself for loving you.  
Can't break free from the things that you do.  
I wanna walk but I run back to you, that's why  
I hate myself for loving you.  
I hate myself for loving you.  
Can't break free from the things that you do.  
I wanna walk but I run back to you, that's why  
I hate myself for loving you .  
I think of you ev'ry night and day.  
You took my heart, then you took my pride away.  
I hate myself for loving you.  
Can't break free from the things that you do.  
I wanna walk but I run back to you, that's why  
I hate myself for loving you.  
I hate myself for loving you.  
I hate myself for loving you._

People stood up and gave her a standing ovation and some shouted for an encore. She put another song on and sang again. This time she sang I'm Here For the Party by Gretchen Wilson, which caused people to get up and start dancing.

_Well I'm an eight ball shooting double fisted  
Drinking son of a gun  
I wear my jeans a little tight  
Just to watch the little boys come undone  
I'm here for the beer and the ball busting band gonna get a little crazy just because i can  
You know I'm here for the party  
And I ain't leaving till they throw me out gonna have a little fun gonna get me some  
You know I'm here, I'm here for the party  
I may not be a ten but the boys say I clean up good  
And if I gave 'em half a chance  
For some rowdy romance you know they would  
I've been waiting all week just to have a good time  
So bring on them cowboys and their pick up lines  
You know I'm here for the party  
An I ain't leaving till they throw me out gonna have a little fun gonna get me some  
You know I'm here, I'm here for the party  
Don't want no purple hooter shooter just some  
Jack on the rocks  
Don't mind me if I start that trashy talk  
You know I'm here for the party  
And I ain't leaving till they throw me out gonna have a little fun gonna get me some  
You know I'm here, I'm here for the party _

_You know I'm here for the party  
And I ain't leaving till they throw me out gonna have a little fun gonna get me some  
You know I'm here, I'm here for the party_

We stayed for a few more hours, then left.

**CPOV**

By the time we got back to my house, I was exhausted. It was three in the morning. Tonight had been good. My brothers had come to like and approve of Derek. I had gotten Derek to have a good time. He had been unwilling to leave his chair at first, but I had gotten him to dance with me a couple of times.

"Hey Derek, where are you staying?"

"Well…I hadn't planned on spending as much time out as we did, so I didn't get to check into a motel or go to Simon's."

"Okay, then. You can stay here."

Silence.

"Derek?"

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. You're always welcome here. You'd know that if you ever called me." I smiled at him. "Come on. I'll show you to a room."

I lead him to one of the ten guest rooms. It was done in sea green and light blue. "You can sleep in here."

He nodded. He looked like he wanted to say something but at the last minute changed it. "Night, Chloe. Thanks."

"Night." With that we went our separate ways to our separate bedrooms.

**Like it? Love it? Hate it? Review please.**

**Crap! I didn't get to put the interrupted Chlerek moment in. I'll put in the next chapter. Promise. =)**


	4. Werewolves and Their Territory Issues

**Author's Note: I used the song I Hate Myself For Loving You for reasons that you'll find out in** **this chapter…hopefully. We'll see where I take it. Oh, and did any of you readers catch that Chloe knows Derek's big secret…you know, the whole mate thing? So, now, it's just a matter of telling each other. Mmmm…I wonder who'll crack first? Read to find out. Plus, there's a surprise…it explains the story title.**

Werewolves and Their Territory Issues

_**Previously**_

"_**Night." With that we went our separate ways to our separate bedrooms.**_

**CPOV**

I had a relatively peaceful night. I slept well, but I didn't. It felt good to know that Derek was a couple of doors down, but it also felt wrong. He should have been sleeping in my bed. I should have been sleeping in his arms…or doing other nightly activities. _Bad Chloe._

I stumbled out of bed and into the master bathroom. It was done in shades of red, to complement my black and red bedroom. It even had a dark red shower. I took a shower and dressed in a pair of dark jean short shorts and a light blue tank top and my silver charm bracelet.

When I entered the kitchen, it was about 9:30, and Derek wasn't up yet. I started to make French toast and had just pulled the first pieces out of the skillet when Derek stumbled into the kitchen and sat down at the breakfast nook. He looked _good._ He threw a pair of jeans on and that was it, his hair stood on end in a couple of spots. _He looks adorable with bed head._ His chest was even broader than the last time I saw him, and _he had an eight pack_. My mouth went dry at the sight. I drew my eyes away and tried to refocus on breakfast.

"How hungry are you?"

"Really hungry." As if to confirm this his stomach growled loud enough to wake the dead. I chuckled and went back to cooking breakfast.

**DPOV**

I woke to the smell of something amazing cooking. I got up and fumbled into a pair of jeans. I walked out to the kitchen to see the most glorious sight in the world. Chloe was standing at the stove, cooking, wearing a light blue tank top and a pair of short shorts. All I wanted to do was walk over to her and take her right there. I was hard with want. _Not now…_

I walked over to the breakfast nook and sat down to hide my "friend". She looked over at me then went back to her cooking.

"How hungry are you?"

"Really hungry." Just then my stomach growled. She chuckled at me and went back to cooking.

For some reason, more like checking her out, I glanced down and noticed something on Chloe's foot. She had a series of six _green paw prints_ that started from the base of her painted blue toes and continued down the side of her foot and stopped when they curved around the outside of her ankle. _Is that…the color of my eyes?_

"Um, Chloe?"

"Yeah?"

"What the hell is on your foot?" I demanded, pointing.

"We need to talk." _How does asking about a tattoo lead to the dreaded line "we need to talk"?_

"About what?"

She turned around to face me, breakfast forgotten. "Well…I'm not sure how to tell you this, but you deserve to know."

I was starting to get nervous. _What is going on here?_ "Know what?"

"Well…for the last four years, I've been in love with you. I love you." She looked down. "The paw prints represent you."

I could not believe what I was hearing. I was so happy, I couldn't move, couldn't speak. I must have been silent for too long cause Chloe started to shake. She was sobbing, silently. Whatever trance I was in broke. I walked over to Chloe and took her in my arms.

"Chloe, don't cry." I felt helpless. "Please." She was still crying, so I did the only thing that I could think of. I kissed her. Electricity ran through my body. I felt as if I was on fire. We eventually had to come up for air. We were both gasping for air.

"Chloe, I love you." I smiled at her. "I've been in love with you since my first Change."

**CPOV**

"Chloe, I love you." Derek smiled at me. "I've been in love with you since my first Change."

I was so happy. Derek loved me. I had known he did, but it felt so good to here the actual words.

He continued. "Chloe, you're my mate."

"I know." I smiled at him. He looked blown away. He had a WTF look on his face.

"How do you know?"

"Well, Jay had some books on supernaturals and I was really missing you, so I borrowed one about werewolves. In it, it said that the only person that a werewolf will knowingly let come to their Change, outside of their family, is their mate. I figured it out. There were some other things about mates that I learned and I fit every one of them." I smiled at him and snuggled closer, and his arms tightened around me. "I also asked my brothers, the three with mates, and they all agreed that I was your mate."

He kissed me again. "Why did you get the tattoo?"

I blushed a deep shade of red. "I was missing you, really bad, and I got it to remind me of you."

He kissed me, hard. Then he lifted me onto the counter and stepped between my thighs. I wrapped my legs around him, bringing him closer. We were just about to rip each others clothes off…when my phone rang. We broke apart and I glanced at the caller id.

"I have to take this. It might be important." I untangled myself from Derek; I hopped off the counter and stepped away from him so that I kept my hands to myself._ Get a hold of yourself Chloe, now is not the time, you need to answer the phone. It might be one of the kids._

I answered and was met with a little boy's voice. Adrian. "Hi, baby. How're you?" That got a confused and pissy look from Derek.

"I'm good." He paused. "Chloe, can I come over?"

"Sure, baby." I could tell something was off. "You hungry? Have you eaten yet? I'm making French toast."

"No. Not yet. I love your French toast. Can I have lots of syrup?"

"Yes, you can. Alright, I'll see you in a few minutes. Love you."

"Okay, see you soon. Love you. Bye."

"Bye, baby." I hung up and turned around to finish the forgotten breakfast. "Hey, Derek, we're gonna have company in about five minutes."

"Who was that?" I could hear a contained anger in his voice.

"His name is Adrian." I smiled.

"His?" He huffed. "How many males do you know?"

"A lot. But you have nothing to worry about. I'm all yours. Well, for the most part. I love Adrian, too."

At that, he growled, low and deep. I turned back around to face him. "What?"

"You're mine. You even said so." He wrapped me in his arms, growling "mine" as he did so.

"You have some territory issues you might want to work on. Besides, I told you that I'm in love with you. You have nothing to worry about. You'll see." Right on cue, light footsteps hit the back porch steps. I smiled.

"Chloe?" Adrian yelled as he opened the door. When he saw Derek, he stopped dead in his tracks and you could see his nostrils flare. Since he was a young werewolf, he could smell that Derek had been upset and his eyes narrowed on him. He was only four years old, but he was already very protective of his family, and I was included in his pack. He looked me over and seeing that I was smiling and not upset he smiled back at me and glared at Derek. It was the cutest thing to see.

I stepped away from Derek knelt down and held out my arms to Adrian. He smiled and rushed to me to give me a hug. I wrapped his small frame in my arms and gave him a tight hug. He squeezed me back as hard as he could. I kissed him on the cheek and he did the same. "Wolfie hug!" I smiled and leaned back.

I made a show of looking him up and down. "You've grown. Have you been eatin' Miracle Grow, baby?"

He giggled. "Noooooo."

"I don't know…maybe I shouldn't feed you…you might grow again." I smiled at him and stood up, taking his hand. I glanced at Derek…he looked embarrassed. I grinned at him and mouthed "told you". He chuckled.

Adrian stood in front of me, like he was protecting me, and demanded to know who Derek was. Derek looked a little shocked as he glanced at me (I was grinning), but he knelt down to answer.

**DPOV**

When Adrian walked through the door, I was so embarrassed. _I was "competing" with a four year old?_ When he saw me, he stopped and smelled the air. _He's a werewolf pup?_ He could tell that I had been upset and he was worried about Chloe. He even _glared_ at me.

Chloe stepped away from me and gave the little boy a hard hug. They kissed each other and he yelled "wolfie hug".

She teased him for a few minutes. You could tell that there was a lot of love between them, almost like she was his mother.

Then Adrian did something that shocked me. It wasn't the action itself, it was the intensity that the little boy emitted. He was standing in front of Chloe, like he was protecting her from me. I glanced at Chloe. She was grinning, thoroughly enjoying what was going on. I knelt down in front of Adrian.

"My name is Derek." I said as I stuck out my hand for the little boy to shake. His eyes widened in recognition. _Huh._ He grasped my forearm, in a werewolf shake, and nodded at me. _Well, someone taught this boy about being a werewolf._

"I'm Adrian." He turned around to Chloe and she knelt down to him. He whispered in her ear and she nodded and crossed her fingers. _What was that about?_

She went and pulled out three plates and handed them to Adrian, he glanced at me once more, then went over to the table and set them out. Chloe pulled out three cups and set them on the counter, along with the silverware and syrup. She piled the French toast onto one plate and took it to the table. Adrian ran back to the counter and grabbed the stuff that Chloe had just put out and set the table. _They are like a family. They know what the other is going to do._ I felt stupid for just standing there, not doing anything. I went to the table and sat down feeling out of place.

Chloe noticed and smiled at me. She came over to me and whispered in my ear. "Don't worry about it. If I had asked you to do anything, Adrian would have gotten upset. He likes to help me and he would get really mad at you for doing his job." She smiled and sat down. _Damn, she's beautiful._ _God, how did I get so lucky?_

"Adrian, baby, there's a surprise for you in the fridge." She smiled at him. He ran to the fridge and whooped in delight. "Chloe, you are awesome! I love you!" He pulled out a jug of blue Hawaiian Punch. He brought it over to the table and sat down, humming happily.

I ate in silence, while Chloe and Adrian chattered.

"You know, you can talk with us." I looked up. Adrian was staring at me, waiting for some kind of reaction.

"I don't talk much. The most I've ever talked is with Chloe."

Adrian eyed me. "I like you, but you should talk more." Then he went back to his French toast. I just stared at him. Chloe lost it. She was laughing so hard that her eyes started watering.

**CPOV**

I couldn't help it. I laughed my ass off. The look on Derek's face when Adrian said that…it was priceless. It was like he couldn't believe that a little boy was basically scolding him.

I got a hold of myself and looked at Adrian. "Baby, Derek doesn't really like to talk to a lot of people and he likes to eat more than he likes to talk." I smiled at the two guys.

"That's true, but I have a feeling that that might change in the near future." I looked at Derek surprised. He looked at me. "Well, it's true. You have a large family and I'll be expected to talk to the others. I'll just be picky." He grinned. _Well, this is going better than I expected._

We finished breakfast and we all did dishes. Derek washed, Adrian dried and I put away. Adrian grabbed my hand, asked Derek to stay inside so he could talk to me, and dragged me outside to sit on the porch swing. Earlier he had said that he wanted to talk to me and give me something. He made me promise not to tell anyone about what he wanted to talk to me about.

"Okay, baby, what's wrong?"

He looked nervous. "Weeellll, I'm going to start preschool soon…"He stopped.

"Take your time, baby."

"I…I'm scared." He barely whispered.

I pulled him closer, wrapping my arm around his shoulders. "Scared of what?"

"The other kids. I'm a lot stronger than they are. I don't want to hurt them and I'm afraid that I'll do something bad and no one will like me." He looked like he was about to cry. "That they'll think that I'm a freak."

"Okay. You know who else had this same problem?"

He shook his head, no. I smiled at him. "Derek."

He looked shocked. "No way!"

"Yes way. He was a lot bigger than the other kids at his school and they avoided him. He was also scared that he'd hurt one of them. He called himself a freak, and he believed it for the longest time."

"But he's really nice and I don't think he's a freak."

"Well, he thought he was a freak. It took me forever to convince him that he wasn't. I'm going to tell you the same thing that I told him. I know that you'd never hurt anyone on purpose. You aren't the type of person that would. I also know that you aren't a freak. Do you know how I know this?"

He shook his head, no.

"I know this because you are a wonderful person. You care about others, you protect your family, you're a sweet boy and you can see others for who they are."

"What do you mean by the seeing others thing?"

"When you first met me, what did you think of me?"

"I thought that you were really nice and that you were going to help me."

"Am I nice? Did I help you?" I was fighting tears. _He is such a sweet boy._

"Yes. You're really nice and you told me about being a werewolf." He smiled at me.

"That's what I meant by you seeing others for who they are."

"That's a good thing right?" He looked unsure.

"That's a very good thing." I smiled at him. "That's how I became friends with Derek. He tried to be mean and grumpy to keep me away, but it didn't work on me."

"Okay. Thank you Chloe." He smiled at me. "You made me feel better." He paused. Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"Are you Derek's mate?"

"Yes, I am." I looked at him, not sure where this was going.

"Okay. I like him. He loves you. I can smell it." He grinned at me. "I have a present for you."

"You do?"

"Close your eyes and hold out your hand."

I did as he asked. I felt a piece of metal land in my hand. I opened my eyes and there lay a silver charm. It was a mama wolf and her pup.

"Baby, it's beautiful. Who are the wolves?"

"That's you and me. You're like a mama to me. You feed me, buy me clothes, and love me even though you don't have to." I felt my eyes well up with tears.

"I do love you, baby. Don't you ever think that I don't." I gave him a watery smile and held up my wrist with the charm bracelet on it. "Why don't you pick out where it goes and put it on for me."

"Okay." He put it on and gave me a hug. "I love you Chloe."

"I love you, too, baby."

"I need to go home. Grandpa will worry about me." He smiled and hugged me again. "Thank you for breakfast and for talking to me. Bye. Tell Derek I said bye."

"No problem, baby. I'll tell him." I smiled. "Bye."

He smiled and ran off, into the woods.

I went into the house and Derek was standing there and he looked mad about something.

"Is he yours?"

**Oooohhhh, another cliffhanger. Mwuhahahaa! I had no idea that I would do that. I knew that there'd be a little boy in the picture, just didn't know that Derek would ask that question. Chloe is about 20, so the math does work.**

**If your wondering what a four year old is doing walking through the woods, I have the answer. His house is like 50 feet away through the woods, and there's a path. The walk isn't far. Besides, he's a baby werewolf. He's strong and fast, so he's fine.**

**Like it? Love it? Hate it? Review please. I would like to have at least five reviews for this chapter. Pretty please.**


	5. Sunday Dinners are Hellacious

**Author's Note: OMG! I am so sorry that it's taken me forever to update. It took me longer to come up with this chapter than it normally does. I was sure, where I wanted it to lead. I have some great ideas, so the next chapter should be up faster. Again, so, so sorry for the lateness. Anyway, I cannot believe that I did the whole "is he yours" thing. I love Adrian. He was just a cute character that I came up with. I thought that Chloe needed someone like him. It just felt right for the direction of the story.**

**I'm still not sure what the dangerous situation in this story will be. Oh well, I'll come up with something, until then, I'll just have fun. Oh, toe-curlers coming up sometime soon! Yay! Don't know how I'll do though…**

Sunday Dinner is Hellacious

_**Previously**_

_**I went into the house and Derek was standing there and he looked mad about something.**_

"_**Is he yours?"**_

**DPOV**

I was seriously starting to wonder about a few things. _Was Adrian Chloe's son? And if so, who was the father? Whoever had dared to touch her…_

I had heard the conversation between the two. She loved him like a mother loves a son. He loved her like she was his mother. Hell, he gave her a wolf charm that was a mother and her pup. The math was right. Adrian had light blonde hair and dark blue eyes, so he kind of looked like her. It was possible for her to be the mother, but what didn't make sense, was if he was hers, why she gave him up. I _needed_ to know. I was furious…_what in the hell was going on?_

"Is he yours?" I demanded.

"What?" Chloe looked hurt and I could smell her anger start to rise.

"Is. He. Yours?"

"Derek, how could you ask me that? I would have told you if I had a child." Her eyes had gone a dark blue with anger. "To answer your question, no he is not my child. What would make you ask a question like that?"

"The math adds up, the way you two act together…" I was relieved to know that she hadn't kept something that major from me.

She started to calm down. "I can see your point of view, but you know me better than that. Some things may have changed while you were gone, but I'm still the same person."

"I'm sorry for doubting you. It's just that I heard your conversation with him and I jumped to conclusions." I was ashamed. I should have trusted that Chloe wouldn't keep something like that from me.

"I'm not his mother, but I'm the closest thing he has to one." She went to living room and sat down on the couch. She patted the seat next to her. I eagerly sat down next to her and waited for her to continue.

"Last year, I was walking in the woods with Kenyon. We had walked by the house next door and Kenyon smelled a werewolf, and he told me that it was a pup. When we rounded the corner of the house, there sat a cute little blonde boy. He looked up when he smelled us. Kenyon said that he was definitely a werewolf, but that he didn't smell any others around. That worried me. The next day, I went back to the house. When I knocked on the door, an old man answered. He was about 70 or so and his name was Paul, he's Adrian's grandfather. Anyway, I had learned from the some of the local supernaturals that he was a water half-demon. I was lucky. I didn't need to worry about exposure, so I asked him straight out if he knew that Adrian, who was three and a half at the time, was a werewolf. He got angry, then he started to worry about how he was supposed to raise him, how was he supposed to tell him, etc. Then I asked him where Adrian's mother was. While Jenny, Adrian's mother, was pregnant with Adrian, she had been attacked by an animal, we now know it was a werewolf, and that the attack had sent her into an early labor. The doctor told her that it was either her or the baby. She had to make a choice between her life or Adrian's. As you can see, she chose Adrian. Well, the werewolf virus had been in her system long enough to turn Adrian into one. Paul isn't very fond of werewolves. He's had a bad history dealing with werewolves and the attack on his daughter didn't make things better. I think that he loves Adrian, he just doesn't know how to balance what happened with knowing that he's a werewolf because of it. So, I told him about myself, my family, and seeing you Change. I told him that I would be more than willing to help. So, before I introduced myself to Adrian, I read every book I could on raising a pup. My family was going to help more, but they were really busy with their own families and the bar, and I told them that I could handle it. So, I made friends with him and I told him. We grew really close and I taught him all that I know about werewolves. He's a very smart little boy. Paul made me his godmother. He's like a son to me, and as you heard earlier, I'm like a mother to him." I smiled at all the memories of me and Adrian.

"Chloe, I am so sorry that I reacted like I did. I should have trusted you and not jumped to conclusions. I'm glad that Adrian has you in his life. I can see and smell that you mean a lot to him. Just having breakfast with you made that boy happy. You've done a great job with him."

**CPOV**

Derek looked really sorry for jumping to inappropriate conclusions. I couldn't stay mad at him when he says something like that. So…I jumped him. He was a little surprised, but he soon caught on. He caught on _quick_. When we kissed, it was as if my entire body was on fire and I wanted more, our tongues fighting for dominance. I had to come up for air but Derek didn't stop his assault on my senses. He kissed his way up and down my neck, and when he reached my mouth, he kissed me again. He had worked his hands under my shirt and was drawing lazy circles on my back, causing goosebumps to rise and a fire to pool in my belly. We broke apart and he leaned back, draping me across his chest.

Which gave me a view of the clock. It was noon. "Oh shit!" I scrambled off of Derek and straightened my clothes.

"What?" Derek looked at my face. "Chloe, did I do something wrong?"

"No, but we need to stop."

"Why?"

"Because in two hours my family will be here for Sunday dinner."

"Will we ever have time to ourselves?" Derek growled. He looked like he wanted to hit something, probably the next person through the door.

"Yes, we will, Der. It's just that this is a tradition and we need to go to the store. Now. I so do not have enough food in the house to feed seven full grown werewolves, five preteen werewolves, nine others." I grabbed my keys and purse and pulled on some flip flops. "You coming?"

Derek's eyes looked like they wanted to fall out of his head. "Holy shit! That's a lot of people!"

"Like I said, I have a large family. We're lucky that Jay's buddies aren't coming." I chuckled. "Last time, I was totally cleaned out."

"Okay. Let's go."

I went outside and lead him over to my truck.

"Holy mother of God. You actually drive this?" He asked, incredulously, looking at the royal blue Dodge Ram with and extended cab.

"Ummm, yeah." I smiled at him. "With five werewolf brothers, their kids, and Adrian, I'm always hauling someone somewhere, and I need the room. You should know how small a lot of vehicles are and that werewolves like room." I hopped in the truck and buckled up, waiting on Derek. He hopped in and we were off.

Want to know what the funniest sight in the world is? Derek pushing a cart. Going through the store, I started piling food into the two carts (Derek couldn't believe that).

"Okay. I have five dozen ears of corn soaking in the back yard; I have about half of the hamburger needed, I need a lot more buns, I-"

Derek cut me off. "Chloe, how are we going to cook all of this food?" He looked skeptical if it could be done.

I chuckled. "You obviously haven't been out to the backyard. Oh, and we aren't cooking. You males are cooking and we females are mixing." I smiled and continued down the aisle. I looked back at him. "Hey, Derek? You got a bathing suit?"

"No."

I smiled. "You're gonna need one."

By the time we got back to the house, it was almost two, but we had all the needed items and we had even stopped and got Derek a bathing suit. When we pulled into the drive, there was a car, a truck, and a motorcycle already there. It was Simon and Tori, Rafe with his family, and Jay.

I hopped out and ran inside. First, I saw Tori, who was looking very pregnant. She was sitting on the couch, with her feet propped up. I gave her a hug.

"Hey girlie. How're you feeling?"

"I'm good. Except for the fact that my scumbag of a boyfriend just dumped me." She looked like she was on the verge of tears. I hugged her again.

"Hey. You know what? I never liked him. He was an ass. Do you want me to set my brothers on him?" I smiled. "I'm sure that they won't mind. Jay'll help, too."

She laughed. "No. Even though that is very tempting, I just want to get on with my life. Forget about him and raise my baby." She gave me a watery smile. "I never really loved him. I had thought that I did, but…I need to talk to you later, when the guys are outside."

"Okay. Speaking of the guys, where are they? I have groceries they need to bring in."

"They're out back. They started cooking the corn." She smiled. "Do you think that you bought enough?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. Oh, I have a surprise for you and Simon."

"Oh, really? Where is it?" She asked looking around.

"Outside. You'll see." Just then, Simon walked in with Jay in tow. Rafe appeared a few seconds later.

"I thought that I had heard Chloe's truck." Simon gave me a hug.

"Hey, go bring in the groceries." I smiled. "There's a surprise outside." I gave Jay a hug.

Simon walked out the door. I counted to three in my head. Then we all heard Simon shout. "Derek?"

Tori perked up. She had come to love Derek like a brother. Don't know how that had happened, but it did. "Derek's here?"

"Yup. He showed up here last night." I grinned at Tori.

"I want details later." She shot a look at me.

Derek walked into the house, arms loaded with groceries. He set them down in the kitchen and came back and gave Tori a hug.

"Wow. I get a hug from Wolfboy? Has Hell frozen over?" He grunted and went to get more bags.

"Rafe. Go help." I turned to look at the woman standing in the doorway. She was about 5'10" and lean, shoulder length platinum blonde hair, with soft violet eyes. She was one of the sweetest women I knew, but she had a quiet authority about her. That's how she kept her two thirteen year old twin boys, Bo and Bram, in line, it also helped that she was a fire half-demon. Both boys were taller than their mother, Bo had violet eyes with sandy blonde hair and Bram had black eyes with platinum blonde hair. Rafe went, kissing her on the way out.

I gave her a hug and smiled at her. "Hey, Candy."

"Hey, Chlo." She ginned at me. "I saw Derek. Not bad."

I shook my head. "I know. You should see him without a shirt." I grinned back at her. I wasn't jealous. I didn't have anything to worry about. She loved Rafe with all her heart and was just commenting.

"Tori, I knew that you'd be craving ice cream, so there's a gallon of your favorite kind somewhere." She squealed with happiness and followed behind me as I headed to the kitchen. The guys finished bringing in the groceries and headed outside. I followed the guys out to see Derek's reaction.

He stopped and stared. I love my backyard. We were standing on a brick layout, on the edge, where it expanded out somewhat into the yard, was a huge grill built into the bricks. It was big enough to fit half of the corn on one side and a smaller area where the meat could be cooked. In the yard, to the left, there were two humongous oak trees about six feet apart. In between, I had hung a big hammock, made of the strongest rope I could find (I had read up on how to make one, and made it.). To the right was an in ground pool with a fence around it. The pool was a huge oval with stairs in the shallow end and in the deep end, there was a diving board. Behind all this was an acre of yard that lead to the forest.

"So, Derek, what do you think?" My curiosity needed to know.

"It's nice." He smiled and came over to me. He kissed my cheek then walked over to Simon.

I heard car doors slam and walked out front to see everyone else had arrived.

Jack, with his mate/wife, Maggie. She was about 5'5' and a little heavy set, not soft looking but sturdy. She had thick, deep red hair that hung below her waist in waves, and kind brown eyes.

Kenyon, with his mate/wife, Layna, a shaman, with their nine year old son, Rian (Ryan). Layna was 5'10", athletic, with shoulder length blonde hair and gray eyes. Rian was the same height as his mother, tall and gangly, but he had the shadow of a werewolf's build, and had his father's black hair and his mother's gray eyes.

Randy, with his mate/wife, Terena (Tear-e-na), a witch, with their two boys, Tristan, 14, and Zane, 10. Terena was about 5'8", who was shaped like Maggie, with curly, dark brown hair that reached the middle of her back, and hazel eyes. Tristan was built like a werewolf and had short, curly, red hair and dark brown eyes. Zane was in the tall, gangly phase, but you could tell that he was a werewolf's son and he had dark red hair and hazel eyes.

All of the men gave off an intimidating power and authority, but the woman, even though they could be feisty, balanced it out with their sweet natures. The teens all had the shadow of their father's domineering personalities.

Jack came and gave me a tight hug. "Hey baby girl."

I smiled. "Hey Jack." I kissed his cheek.

Maggie came up to me and hugged me tight. "So, he's here, huh?" She grinned at me.

"Yes, he's here. You can grill him later." I grinned and went to greet everyone else.

When I walked back in the house, everyone had headed out back; the boys had jumped in the pool and were already goofing around. I smiled at the sight.

"Chloe!"

I heard Adrian before I saw him. He slammed into me from the side. I smiled and picked him up, kissing his cheek. "Hey, baby. You ready to go swimming?"

"Not yet. I want to eat first." He smiled and kissed my cheek, then he laid his head on my shoulder. _Uh oh. Something was up._

I walked in the house and took him upstairs to my bedroom. "Okay, baby. Tell me what's going on." I sat him down on the bed and sat next to him.

He crawled on my lap, wrapped his arms around my waist, and laid his head on my shoulder. "Grandpa is being mean again."

I stilled. "What do you mean by that, baby?"

"He said that it was my fault that Jenny died." I felt the tears start. _Oh, shit! Four years ago, Jenny died today._

"Baby, that wasn't your fault." I felt my eyes well up.

"Grandpa said that it was because of my kind and the fact that I was born that she died." Adrian started to sob. I just held him and rocked him back and forth and quietly sang one his favorite songs, Broken Bones by Rev Theory **(A.N.-amazing song)**.

When he quieted, I leaned back and looked him in the eyes. "Adrian, what happened to Jenny was not your fault." More tears fell, but he was quiet, listening. "A rogue werewolf hurt her. You had nothing to do with that. Sometimes, werewolves that don't have families can't remember what's right and what's wrong." I wiped his tears away. "Baby, Jenny loved you so much. She chose to have you instead of living. She wouldn't ever want you to think that what happened was your fault."

"Do…do you think it was my fault?" My tears started to fall.

"Adrian, I have never thought that what happened was your fault. I never will."

He hugged me, as hard as he could, and just held on. I started to sing to him again, rocking him. He fell asleep like that. I unwound his arms from around my neck and laid him in the middle of my bed, covering him up.

I walked out of my room and went downstairs. When I hit the landing, all of the guys turned to look at me, every one of them pissed off.

"You guys heard." Not a question, but a statement. Every guy nodded. I could feel my anger rising. "I'm going to talk to Paul later. This has to stop. It isn't the first time that he's done something like this, but it will be the last."

They all nodded and went back outside, knowing that I'd handle it and if I needed help, I'd come get them.

I went into the kitchen and found all the women sitting around the table, cutting up various items for different salads. Except Tori, she was eating her ice cream, straight out of the container. I sat down and everyone looked at me, waiting for me to tell them what happened.

"Tori, spell please." She put a spell on the room to keep others from eavesdropping on our conversation. "Well, I'll start with Adrian. Today is the anniversary of Jenny's death. In his grief, Paul was being cruel and told Adrian that Jenny's death was "his kind's fault" and his fault because he was born." I looked at the women. Every one if them wore an identical expression, one of anger and sadness. "I told him that it wasn't. That a rogue werewolf had hurt Jenny and that sometimes, if a werewolf didn't have family, he couldn't remember what was right and wrong." I took in a ragged breath. His eyes had been filled with so much pain. "I told him that she had loved him and that she chose his life over hers. I told him that she would never want him to think that what had happened was his fault." A tear fell. "Then he asked me if I thought that what had happened was his fault. I told him that I never had thought that and that and never would."

Maggie was the first to speak. "Is Adrian okay?"

"Yeah, I sung to him and rocked him. He's asleep in my room right now."

"Honey, you told him the right things and you comforted him the best you could. He'll be fine." Terena spoke up, laying a hand on mine.

"Thanks. I'm going to go talk to Paul later. If I went over there, right now, I'd lose it. Can we talk about something else?"

Tori smirked. "Sure. Let's talk about you and Derek."

I smiled. "Fine. They can't hear us right?" Tori shook her head, no. "Okay. Well, he showed up here last night. He stayed here. Now, you're here."

"Uhuh. Details." Tori, demanding as ever. Everyone nodded that they wanted more.

"Well, he appeared out of the blue…" I took them through the happenings of last night and this morning. They all had looks of pure feminine bliss on their faces after I told them about the exchanged "I love yous". After I was done telling my tale, they all congratulated me. Tori took the spell off the room and we started chatting about anything and everything. After dinner was done and everyone had a plate, I went upstairs to get Adrian.

When I entered the room, he was sitting in the middle of the bed, looking around. "Hey baby, you okay?"

"Yeah, I feel better." I hopped on the bed and sat in front of him. "I like your room, it smells like you and I like the colors." He smiled and took my hand.

I smiled. "Adrian, you wanna stay here tonight?"

His smile got bigger. "Yes!" He jumped in my lap and gave me a hug.

"Dinner's done, you hungry, baby?"

"I'm starving." He hopped off the bed and dragged me with him. We went downstairs and he got himself a plate, filled to overflowing, and dug in. I smiled and made myself a plate.

**In case there's any confusion about why Adrian calls his mom Jenny, it's because he never knew her. Who else wanted to kill the grandpa? I'm writing the story and I wanted to kick his ass.**

**Like it? Love it? Hate it? Want to flame me? Review please. **


	6. Mothers and Their Pups

**Author's Note: OMG! I cannot believe that I haven't updated for about a month. I am SO SO SO SORRY! I got really busy. My sister had to have a surgery and I've been dealing with bullshit form my college. My dad got in a wreck. I've been having issues with a few friends that they needed me for. I had to help plan and pull off my sister's wedding. Just lots of stuff that made me unavailable to write anything good. **

**Now about the story… so…I hate Paul. I'm thinking that certain characters need to be assassinated. Just kidding, but there will be a certain someone taken out of the picture. =) New mamas, too. :D You all love me and you know it!**

**Warning: There is a LEMON in this chapter. Be forewarned, it is my first lemon.**

**Because I forgot it last time…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Darkest Powers series. Kelley does.**

Mothers and Their Pups

_**Previously**_

"_**I'm starving." He hopped off the bed and dragged me with him. We went downstairs and he got himself a plate, filled to overflowing, and dug in. I smiled and made myself a plate.**_

**DPOV**

I couldn't believe that someone would tell a little boy that. His fault my ass. I never wanted to meet the bastard. _I'd probably end up killing him._

When Chloe came downstairs, she knew that we had all heard her conversation with Adrian. She knew that we were all pissed off. Every male in here had growled when we heard what the little boy was saying.

"I'm going to talk to Paul later. This has to stop. It isn't the first time that he's done something like this, but it will be the last."

_This wasn't the first time? That's it! He's dead. End of fucking story._

We all went outside to finish grilling the food, the young boys to go back to swimming. Jack was the first to speak.

"I'm gonna kill Paul." He looked like he meant it.

"Stand in line." Rafe looked murderous. "That little boy is like a nephew to me, and I saw the hurt in Chloe's eyes. No one hurts our sister."

"As much as I would love to go hunting," Lupus spoke up, "we can't. It would just hurt Adrian. Chloe will handle it. She knows if she needs help, we're here for her. She'll do what's best for Adrian. She always has and always will. That boy is her pup."

They all turned to look at me. Kenyon was the one to ask their question. "What do you think about all this, Derek?"

"I think that dismemberment sounds good." I wasn't kidding either.

Jack smiled. "Sounds fun, but Lupus is right. Chloe will handle this. Adrian is her pup and she has some of the strongest maternal instincts I've ever seen."

"Derek, what do you think of Adrian?" Randy inquired. Everyone went still, waiting for my answer.

"I like the boy. He's smart and loves Chloe like she's his mother." When they heard my answer, they all visibly relaxed. It was part of a test. _So far, I've passed._

When dinner was done, we all went to the kitchen to fill our plates. Adrian and Chloe came downstairs. Both of them looked happier. Adrian made a plate and dug in.

I soon saw what Chloe meant when she said that she didn't have enough food before we went to the store. _Holy shit._ Everyone was scattered everywhere, eating. The boys were sitting at the table, they were the messy eaters. Some of the other males were eating with them. The rest had either sat down on the floor or were in the living room, eating.

After Chloe was finished, she walked over to where I was eating at the table. She leaned down, and said low enough so that only I could hear, "Adrian's staying the night. He needs me right now." I nodded in understanding. My needs could be pushed off for a little while. Adrian needed Chloe.

She walked over to where Adrian was sitting, inhaling his food. She leaned down and told him to slow down a little, and reminded him of what happened last time. He nodded and slowed a little. She smiled and ruffled his hair, then headed for the stairs. Tori followed a few minutes later. _Huh. Wonder what that's about._

**CPOV**

I went upstairs to change into my bikini and Tori followed me.

"Hey Chloe, can we talk?" Tori asked hesitantly, like she was afraid I'd say no.

"Sure. What's up, hon?"

"Can I use a spell to keep others from hearing?"

"Yeah, go ahead." She placed the spell. "Now, tell me, what's going on with you."

"Well…I-I," she broke off. "I love Jay."

I stilled, then grinned. "I knew it! Finally!"

She looked shocked. "You knew?"

I nodded. "I had the suspicion that you did. I just didn't know how to talk to you about it. You know, with the scumbag hanging around and you being pregnant and all." I smiled.

She smiled, then looked worried. "Do you think that I have a chance with Jay?"

I sat down beside her on the bed. "Tori…Jay loves you."

"What? No way!" She looked like she was going to cry. "Do you really think so?"

"Tori. I'm going to tell you something that I've never told anyone else. Jay'll probably get really mad at me or he might not, depending on the outcome." She looked intrigued, hopeful. "On the night that you told us you were pregnant, Jay kinda flipped out. He came over and he brought a bottle of scotch with him. I'm talking the good stuff, you know, the stuff that'll get you drunk after a few glasses. Well, it took a little while to get what was wrong out of him. When he finally opened up, he told me that he loved you and that he knew that you were going to get hurt by the scumbag. He said that the thought of you in pain was driving him crazy. He said that he wanted to be with you, that he needed you. He didn't go after you because he thought that he didn't have a chance with you. He downed half of the bottle that night. I was able to get him to one of the bedrooms but when he got there, he wouldn't let go of me, so I stayed the night with him. He slept with his head in my lap and his arms around my waist the whole night. The next day, he downed the other half of the bottle. I stayed with him again, but he just held my hand the whole night. The next morning, I made him breakfast, he thanked me for staying with him those two nights and then he left for work. In all the time I've known him, I've never seen him break like that. Tori, he loves you with all his heart." I smiled at her.

Now, she was crying. But this time, because she was happy. "Do you think that he'll take me even though I'm pregnant?"

"Tori, he loves you. He will love your baby. In fact, I think that he already does. I've seen the way he looks at you. It's like you're the air that he needs to breathe. All you need to do is tell him."

"I can't, Chloe. I'm afraid that he'll reject me." She looked really scared. Must be the hormones. "Would you say something to him? You don't have to tell him I love him, just get him to talk to me. Please?"

I nodded. "Okay. I'll try." I smiled. I got up to change into my bikini. Tori left the room, practically bouncing with happiness. In her bliss, she forgot to take the spell off my bedroom. I smirked. _That could come in handy…_

I changed into my neon pink bikini and walked outside. I saw Adrian playing with the boys and smiled. He looked so happy here. A thought occurred to me. I was going to ask Paul if I could adopt Adrian or at least if he could come live with me. Hopefully, I could convince him that it was the right thing to do.

Derek came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. I relaxed into him. The tension from my earlier conversation with Adrian melted away. Things would work out okay. He leaned down and whispered in my ear. "You know Chloe, you look really good in that bikini." His hot breath against my neck sent shivers coursing through my body. I looked up at him and smiled. He kissed me. Our actions didn't go unnoticed. Everyone gathered around us, male and female. I felt Derek tense up. I rubbed his arm, telling him that it was okay.

"Derek, we've spent the last few hours and last night getting to know you." Jack spoke up, being the Alpha. "But we all want you to know that if you ever hurt Chloe like that again, no one will ever be able to find you." Every one of them nodded in agreement.

"I don't plan on leaving Chloe again. There were things that I had to do before I could be with her. I did them. She is my mate and I won't be separated from her again."

I had tried not to smile when Jack threatened Derek. I knew that they were looking out for me. His answer must have been okay, because they all dispersed and went back to swimming or laying out.

I tugged Derek over to the hammock. "We need to talk."

He looked a little nervous. "Okay."

"Where do you plan on living?"

"Here, if that's okay. It's where you are and Simon, Tori, and Dad are close by." He was looking me in the eye, making sure that he knew he was serious.

"Okay." I smiled. "I also want you to know that I plan on asking Paul if I can adopt Adrian or at the very least, have him live with me." I eyed him. "If you have a problem with that, speak now."

"I don't have a problem with that." He nodded and smiled. "I know that he needs to get out of that environment and that you're like a mother to him, so the obvious place for him to go is here."

I smiled and jumped on him. He caught me and we kissed. It started out chaste but it soon got hot, very hot. I was seriously considering dragging him up to my room when I heard a giggle. We broke apart to see Adrian standing there.

"I need to go get my stuff from Grandpa's, Chloe. I…I was hoping that you'd come with me." He looked down, like he was afraid that he shouldn't have asked. I knelt down and looked him in the eye.

"Adrian, it's okay that you asked. I'll go with you, just let me go get a shirt and shorts." I went to go get them, Adrian following, holding my hand.

When we got to Adrian's, he ran off to get his stuff, leaving me to talk to Paul. "Paul, I would like to talk to you about something." He looked like he was nervous about something.

"What is it?"

"I know that it must be hard to have Adrian here, remembering things about Jenny." When I said her name, it looked like he was going to cry. "I would like to adopt Adrian, and if that's not okay, at least have him come live with me."

"Why should I let you do that?"

"Well, Adrian is going to start showing more outward signs of being a werewolf." As I said that, Paul looked like he wanted to hit something. "I just thought that this would make your life easier and that it would be better for Adrian. I know about you blaming him for Jenny's death. That's not fair to him." I took a breath. "He can come visit you whenever you or he wants. I'm not going to take him away from you; I just thought that this would make things easier for both of you."

"Fine by me. You can adopt him. I don't want him here. Never have." He all but snarled. "His kind killed my daughter and he did too because she chose to have him and not live."

I was about to start crying, with anger and hate and sadness. "I'll talk to him. I'm pretty sure that he'll do it. I'll let you know." Adrian bounded down the stairs.

"Chloe! Let's go! I don't want to miss time with the others."

I smiled. "Okay, baby. Let's go."

When we got back to the house, the guys had gotten squirt guns out and were having a water war. It was funny to watch. Not one of them cared that they looked ridiculous. Adrian ran in the house to put his swim trunks on. When he came out, he looked so cute. He had on the neon yellow trunks that I had bought for him, they stood out even more with his tan. He picked up a water gun and started running around, spraying everybody. I shook my head and jumped in the pool.

After I was thoroughly soaked, I climbed on one of the rafts to float around. I was laying there thinking about what Paul had said. I hoped that Adrian hadn't heard what he said, but I knew that he probably had. I'd talk to him later, after everyone had gone home.

"Hey Chloe!" I turned to find Simon swimming towards me.

I smiled. "Hey Si."

"Um…I was wondering what had happened earlier with Adrian. The guys were upset and wouldn't tell me. I was wondering what had everyone so upset."

I explained to him what had happened and then I told him about my plans and what Paul had said. I was furious by the time I finished. Simon looked horrified.

"I can't believe that he said that!" He fumed. "Chloe, you're doing the right thing. He needs you and you need him. Like the others said. He's your pup."

I had no idea that the others had said that he was my pup, but I felt the rightness of it when I thought about it. I nodded. "He is my pup. I'm just anxious to hear what he wants to do. I haven't asked him if he wants to move in here with me. I wanted to wait until everyone went home before I asked him. So much happened, I just wanted him to have today."

Simon nodded. "I won't say anything." He smiled. "I think that he'll move in." He swam away.

After a few more hours of everyone goofing around and swimming, they left. It was about eight o' clock. Adrian had fallen asleep on one of the chairs around the pool. I picked him up and carried him to his favorite room. It was decorated in shades of orange with splashes of yellow and green. I tucked him into bed. He stirred and woke up.

"Chlo? Can you sing to me?"

"Sure, baby. But I need to ask you something first." He sat up, waiting for me to continue. "Would you like to move in with me?"

His eyes got wide for a second, then he looked down. "I heard what Grandpa said."

"Oh, baby. I'm so sorry that you had to hear that."

"It's okay. I've knew that he didn't love me." I could hear the tears in his voice.

"Baby, why didn't you say anything to me?"

"I didn't want you to worry." He looked up then, and the tears spilled out. I wiped them away.

"Baby, I like to worry about you. You're my pup." I smiled at him. "So, would you like to live with me?"

"Yes." He smiled. "I like it here. I like Derek. Is he going to live here now?"

"Yes. Is that okay with you?"

He nodded and gave me a tight hug. "Chloe, can…can I…"

"What baby?"

"Can I call you Mom now?" I smiled and nodded, unable to speak around the tears and lump in my throat.

After I could finally speak I asked him what song he wanted to hear.

"Simple Man." **(A.N.:Simple Man by Shinedown is an amazing song)** He said as he laid down.

"Okay, baby. We'll get your things tomorrow and you can set up your bedroom. Close your eyes."

"Okay, mama." I swallowed my tears and started to sing. By the first chorus, he had fallen back to sleep.

I went down to kitchen and started to clean up. Derek came in from outside. He had been pulling all the pool toys out of the water. I smiled at him and finished cleaning the counter. "Adrian's moving in tomorrow."

He smiled and came up behind me and pulled me into his arms. "Good."

I snuggled closer and inhaled his scent. He smelled like the woods after a heavy rain. I looked up, into his deep green eyes. Our gazes locked and my breathing hitched. His eyes had gone dark with desire. He leaned down and nuzzled my neck and placed kisses along my throat. I smothered a moan and bit my lip, trying to be quiet. I wound my arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss. He kissed me like I was the best thing he had ever tasted; he grabbed my ass and hoisted me up, wrapping my legs around his waist. He walked to the stairs and climbed them, not bothering to put me down. When we reached the landing, he stopped, waiting for directions.

Breathlessly, I told him. "Down the hall. Last door on the left."

He was still kissing me when we finally reached my bedroom. He dropped us on the bed, landing with me straddling him, never once breaking our kiss. The fire was back, with a vengeance and demanding more. I ground against him, creating an incredible friction, causing him to growl. He slid his hands under my shirt and rubbed my sides and under my breasts, causing me to moan in pleasure.

He stilled. "What's wrong?" I asked, gasping.

"What if Adrian hears?"

I smiled. "He won't." He looked confused.

"I'll explain later. Just trust me, he won't hear us. We can be as loud as we want."

He smiled wickedly and lightly bit my neck, making me whimper as heat pooled between my legs. His nostrils flared and his eyes grew even darker with desire, making them look black. I pulled on the bottom of his shirt, signaling that it needed to go. He pulled it off and then divested me of my own. He stared at my chest, at the lacy blue bra that covered my breasts. Ever so slowly, he reached up and undid the clasp, letting his deliciously rough fingers linger on the exposed skin. He pulled the bra away from my front and his breath caught.

"You're beautiful." He whispered in awe. He flipped us so that I was on the bottom and he was hovering over me. Leaning down, he licked my nipple. I sucked in a breath as he began to suck on began it and with the other hand he massaged and played with the other causing it to engorge and peak. I moaned, my hips bucking, grinding, needing that incredible friction. He kissed me again, deeply.

He undid my shorts and broke the kiss to strip them from me, taking my panties with them. He tossed them across the room and kissed me again. I reached for his belt, fumbling to get it undone. I could feel him straining against the fabric. I finally got it off and got the front open, pushing his jeans and boxers down, freeing him. I looked down between us, looking at him. He was huge and hard, and I wanted him inside me. He kicked himself free and his hand slid down my stomach. He slid a finger inside, playing with my clit, causing pleasure to coil low in my belly. He drove two fingers inside me, then a third, preparing me, stretching me.

I was writhing and panting, needing him. "Now, Derek. I need you NOW."

He chuckled and positioned himself at my entrance. He sobered. "I know this is going to hurt. Fast or slow, Chloe?"

"Fast. Now." He plunged into my very center, conquering my frail guardian. I gasped from the pain and stilled, breathing deeply, willing the pain away. Derek had stilled, waiting for me to be okay, waiting to know that he could continue.

After the initial shock had passed, the pain started to turn into pleasure. I shifted, causing a wave of pleasure to radiate through my body, coiling even tighter. Derek growled, the sound sexy, turning me on even more. I traced the contours of his chest and abs, raking my nails lightly over his nipples.

I smiled sinfully and wrapped my legs around his waist, drawing him closer, causing him to go deeper. We both moaned in pleasure. "You can move now, Derek." I gasped out.

That was all it took for him to start. He drew out and thrust himself into me. I could feel my climax coming and I held onto his shoulders, my nails digging in. "Faster, Derek." He eagerly complied causing the pleasure to coil ever tighter. Then the coil snapped and I was sent over the edge. Blinding pleasure had me screaming out. "DEREEEEEEKKKK!"

I laid there, riding out the last waves of my orgasm. Derek had stilled, waiting till I was done. Then he kissed me, deeply and hotly, making me want him again, turning me on more than before.

I started to move, but he grabbed my hips, stilling me. He started to slowly thrust in and out of me again. In. Out. In…causing my desire to pool in my belly again, creating a fever, driving me insane with need.

I wound my arms around his torso, drawing him closer to me. As he moved, his chest rubbed against my nipples, sending little shards of pleasure through me, making me cry out again.

I climaxed, cumming so hard that I could have passed out from the pleasure. As I clenched around Derek, he groaned, moaning my name, cumming. He collapsed on me, breathing heavy, utterly spent.

I kissed his shoulder. He drew out of me and moved to lie next to me, drawing me to him, holding me with my back tight against his chest, nuzzling my neck.

"Thank you." I sighed. "That was amazing."

"You're amazing."

"I love you." I said as I looked back at him.

"I love you, too, Chlo." He said as he smiled and kissed me.

I snuggled into him and fell asleep with a smile gracing my face, secure in Derek's strong arms.

The next morning, as I woke up, I realized three things. One, was the Derek was in my bed. Two, the night before was amazing. And three, was that everything was as it should be. Derek and I were together, and Adrian was going to move in. I smiled, loving number three.

I got up but stopped, realizing that I was sore._ Oh well, it was worth it._ With that, I went to go take a shower.

**Like it? Love it? Hate it? Want to flame me? Review please. It's not a cliffie because I feel really bad about how long it took me to update.=) Again, I'm so sorry.**

**Oh, and since this is my first lemon, let me know if I succeeded in making it a good lemon. If I didn't let me know that, too. Any constructive criticism will be considered and appreciated.**


	7. Demons,Werewolves,andMoving Boxes Oh,My!

**Author's Note: I'm extremely psyched that everyone has given me shiny reviews. Sooo…I didn't botch my very first lemon. Yay! There are more lemons on the way, I just don't want Chlerek's sex life to be my focus now that it's been introduced. I want to focus on the relationships and danger in the story (yes, I'm aware that there is no danger yet, but I want to change that). I have plans to add the danger in, not sure what yet, but demons and The Pack will be involved and maybe rogue werewolves, plus you'll get to see Chloe's powers :D. I may make some changes to Chloe and Jack/Maggie's relationship. She may end up calling them Dad/Mom. We'll see if I can work it into the story. I want to and it feels right. The idea keeps nagging me, so I probably will. Oh, and a marriage proposal (or two) is in the works, just have to find the right place. =) Oh, and everyone needs to remember who Diriel is. You know, the demon that Chloe worked with at the EG headquarters? She's kinda important. I'm going to give her a body, and come up with my own idea of who she really is. Kelley didn't describe her enough for my liking, so I'm going to wing it. =)**

**Thank you everyone that reviewed and added my story to their favorite list. I'm aware that I have been forgetting the thank yous and am sincerely sorry for that. When I realized this, I felt so bad, like I had been neglecting my readers. And I was. Again, I'm sorry. I'm glad that ya'll like my story and hope you enjoy whatever I can come up with next.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Darkest Powers. Kelley does. But I do own the added characters, including sweet Adrian. =)**

Demons, Werewolves, and Moving Boxes! Oh My!

_**Previously**_

_**I got up but stopped, realizing that I was sore. Oh well, it was worth it. With that, I went to go take a shower.**_

**CPOV**

I climbed in the hot shower, letting the water work out the kinks and stiffness from last night. _Last night…_I smiled. Amazing. Mind-blowing. I couldn't describe it any other way. Derek...he was everything that I had ever fantasized about. And he was _mine_. I grinned. My life was perfect. I had a great family, my man was home, and my pup was moving in with me today.

I knew that I had to hurry. It was about 8:30, and Adrian would be up soon. He would probably come looking for me. Uh-oh. He knew about Derek and I, I just didn't want him to be upset with anything. I hopped out of the shower and quickly dried off, realizing that I hadn't grabbed any clothes. Hmmm…oh, well. If Derek was going to be living here, I had to get used to him seeing me naked. _This could be fun…_ Bad Chloe! Still a little sore from last night and there not being any time for morning delights can bring a woman down from Cloud Nine.

I quickly walked to the closet and pulled on a dark purple tank top and a pair of cutoffs. I looked to the bed and smiled. Derek was sleeping like the dead in the middle of the bed, lying on his stomach, with the sheet bunched around his waist, his hair sticking up in all directions.

I walked out of the room and went to the kitchen to start breakfast. I had two werewolves to feed this morning and needed the head start. I pulled out the ingredients to start biscuits and gravy with hash browns. I sliced potatoes and put them in a frying pan. I had just put the sausage in the frying pan and was mixing up the biscuits when Adrian stumbled into the kitchen, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. I smiled at him as he climbed up on one of the stools at the breakfast nook.

"Morning baby. You sleep okay?"

He nodded. "What's for breakfast, mama? I smell sausage."

I grinned when he called me mama. "Biscuits and gravy with hash browns."

He perked up hearing that. "Mmmmmm."

"Baby, why don't you go take a quick shower so that you after breakfast we can go get boxes and start packing up your stuff?"

He nodded and hopped down. He gave me a hug and a kiss before running off to go get in the shower.

As he ran down the hall, Derek appeared, freshly showered. He came around the counter and pulled me in his arms, kissing me and nuzzling my neck. I melted into his embrace and could have stood there forever. He smelled _so_ good. Reluctantly I pulled away to tend to my sausage and biscuits.

He sat down at the breakfast nook and stared at me. "What?"

"I just feel like this is a dream and that at any second, you're going to disappear."

I chuckled. "I'm not going anywhere." I smiled. "So, quit worrying." He smiled, one of his only-for-you-Chloe smiles.

About ten minutes later, Adrian reappeared, freshly showered. He climbed back up in his original seat and smiled at me, his happiness making his face glow. I laughed and ruffled his hair.

"Mama, can I have some juice?" I saw Derek stare at Adrian for a second before he smiled and shook his head.

"Sure baby." I looked at Derek. "After I asked Adrian if he wanted to live with me, he asked if he could call me mom." I smiled at him. "As you can tell, I am very okay with that."

My phone went off. I looked at the screen. Diriel. I answered, "Hi, Diriel."

"I'm coming over. There are a few things that you need to know."

I sighed. "Crap. Is it bad?"

"Yes and no. All depends on who's looking at what and how."

"Diriel…I'm not really in the mood for cryptic statements."

"You'll find out as soon as I flash there. I just thought that you deserved a heads up before I came over and scared your visitor." She laughed and hung up.

"Adrian, Diriel's coming. Derek, brace yourself." As soon as I said that, with a loud crack and a red flash, Diriel stood in my kitchen.

Diriel was the demon that had helped me during the EG headquarters break out. After I had mastered my powers, I had summoned her to make sure that she wasn't causing more destruction than she was allowed. We had become kinda friends. She told me if there was trouble coming to town and I kept her out of trouble with her master if she deserved my help. Sometimes, her master would try to punish her for a disaster that she didn't cause, and I would intervene. Other times, she did deserve her punishment.

She stood about 5'10" and had a lean, athletic body, with a gorgeous face and waist length black hair that had purple streaks throughout it. She was dressed in a really short, slinky black dress that showed off her long legs and allowed her red tail free reign.

"Hi Diriel." I turned to Derek, who looked shocked. "Derek, this is Diriel. Diriel, Derek."

**DPOV**

Chloe had just told me to brace myself when there was a loud crack and a red flash. In the middle of the kitchen stood a woman that had a tail and purple streaks in her hair.

"Derek, this is Diriel. Diriel, Derek." The tailed woman turned to look at me.

"Chloe, who the hell is she?"

Diriel smiled. "Ah, I see Chloe did not mention me." She turned back to Chloe, cocking her head to the side. "I wonder why."

Chloe sighed and turned to me. "I never mentioned her because when I first met her, I had to make a deal with her. I didn't want any of you guys to think less of me for that choice. I had no other option. We needed to escape and she was my only resource. And I forgot to mention her over the past few days. She only comes around a few times a month, and that's normally for me to bail her ass out of trouble with her master."

I didn't know what to think. Chloe has enough clout with a _demon master_ to get her out of trouble? _What the hell?_

"I do not come around just for that purpose, Chloe." Chloe gave her a look.

"Oh, really? Last week, I remember a certain demon coming to me and telling me of a situation dealing with five half demons, a vampire, four half dead humans, a ferret, and three cases of alcohol." _I don't think that I want to know…_"This same demon then proceeds to ask for my help getting out of the punishment that was sure to follow."

"Alright, alright." Diriel makes a show of pouting. Chloe just smiles and goes back to her cooking.

"Did you have something that you needed to tell Chloe?"

The demon glanced at me and smiled. "Ah yes. Chloe, you've got trouble coming." I tensed. Chloe in trouble did not sit well with me. I started to growl. "Oh, shut up Derek." The demon snapped. "I'm here to tell her. Besides, she knows this particular trouble."

"Spill. Now." I snapped right back.

"You don't scar-"

"Shut up! Both of you!" Chloe interrupted. "Derek, you will respect Diriel while she is in my home. Diriel, you will show respect to my mate while you are in my home. Now that that's settled, Diriel, tell me what's going on. Is this particular trouble named Erich?"

I could not believe that Chloe just told me to shut up. _And who the fuck is Erich?_

Diriel nodded. "Yes, it's Erich. He's coming back and he wants to have a conversation with you. Again."

"Damn it! I told him no repeatedly and stopped him once. What's it gonna take? His death?

"Who's Erich?" I demanded. Damn_. How many males does Chloe know? And what does she mean that she stopped him before?_

Chloe checked on breakfast before she turned to me. "Erich was a friend that used to live in the same apartment building with me. He's a necromancer with some demon mixed in. He went bad and tried to start a war between the supernatural races. He wanted to eliminate werewolves and vampires. He said that those two races were impure and that they all deserved to die. He tried to start the war by attacking and sometimes killing werewolf pups and vampire children and framing witches, sorcerers, and necromancers. This then caused the werewolves and vampires to retaliate by attacking everyone who wasn't a werewolf or human and the vampires did the same. Luckily, I found out and stopped him. He was in the middle of a summoning spell when I found him, stopped him, and sent the demons back to their masters. Since I'm more powerful than him, I easily overcame his necromantic will and sent them back. That's how I met Xar, Diriel's master. He was not happy to lose control over his minions, no offense Diriel, and he was begrudgingly grateful to me for giving him back that control."

I had no idea what to think of that explanation. All I could feel was a cold, all-consuming rage. "And you forgot to mention this the other night how? And why didn't Simon, Tori, or my dad tell me?" I demanded, barely contained fury lacing my voice. Chloe had been in grave danger and I didn't know. Besides the fact that it was purposefully kept from me.

"Derek, calm down. Simon and them didn't tell you because I made them swear that they wouldn't breathe a word about it to you. I knew that you wouldn't like the fact that you weren't there to help me. I knew that you were off doing something important, and that you were needed elsewhere. I forgot to mention it the other night because it slipped my mind." I didn't like it, but I knew she was right. But I did like that she knew me so well.

"How could something like that slip your mind?"

This might seem surprising, but I don't regret my actions that night, so I'm not haunted by it. It's just a memory to me." She turned back to the stove, finishing up breakfast.

**CPOV**

"Diriel, are you hungry?"

"No. I need to go see Master. He's summoning me. Shall I say hi for you?"

"Yes, and tell him that he needs to call me. I have a feeling that we're going to be working together on this."

"Fine, oh and one more thing. Erich's collected quite a few more followers than last time and is more prepared. Bye."

With a loud crack, Diriel disappeared.

Erich's got more followers than last time? _Shit!_ Not good. So not good.

My cell phone rang, breaking me out of my thoughts. "Hey, Xar."

"Hello, my sweet. You desired to speak with me?"

I rolled my eyes and smiled. "Xar, please flash to my house. We need to talk. And if you play nice, I'll feed you."

"Anything for you, my sweet. See you soon."

"Derek, brace yourself again. Adrian, Xar's coming."

With a thunderous boom, Xar appeared in my kitchen. Dressed in a tight dark red tee and dark blue jeans, he was a sight to behold. He was seven foot and looked kinda like a deliciously scruffy Hugh Jackman with long hair, pulled back into a loose ponytail, with black eyes, broad shoulders and biceps that could make a woman drool. Being mated to Derek, he had never had any affect on me.

He came up to me and lifted me in a hug. Why would a demon master be hugging me and not threatening me? Well, during all my conversations with him over Diriel, we kinda became friends and he's like an evil big brother that will behave around certain people. I heard Derek growl and rise from his seat. Xar turned around, still holding me, and eyed Derek.

"My sweet, who is the shirtless Neanderthal?" I stifled a giggle and pulled away.

I was about to answer when Derek spoke, well, more like growled. "I'm Derek. Her mate." He glared. "Who are you?"

"I am Xar. Arch demon and demon master of 26 legions of Hell's Army." Derek's face remained impassive, except for a flicker of surprise and caution that passed through his eyes. When Xar wanted to, he could be regal and dangerous at the same time. Hard to do, but he pulled it off.

"Hi, Xar!" Adrian spoke, breaking the tension between the two men. Xar smiled at him.

"Adrian, baby, will you set the table for me?" I turned to look at Xar. "We're having biscuits and gravy with hash browns. You hungry, Xar?"

He smiled, wickedly. "Of course. I knew that you would have something good to eat and you promised to feed me…if I played nice. Whatever that means."

I eyed him. "You know exactly what it means." I smiled and went to put the food on the table.

I kissed Derek on the cheek before I sat down. "Xar, Erich's back."

Xar looked up from his plate and raised an eyebrow. "Where is he?"

"Not sure yet. All I know is that he's on his way. And that he has more followers, which means more power."

"Fine. Give me a call when he shows up. Can I go back to my breakfast now?" He sounded like a little kid that had their favorite toy taken away. I smiled and continued eating.

"So, Derek, you have mated with Chloe?" Derek about choked on his hash browns.

"Uhhh…how is that any of your business?"

I laughed. "Der, honey, he's asking if we're mates. Not what you're thinking."

Xar grimaced. "I do not want or need to know if my sweet has made your relationship official or not. She is like a little sister to me and that information would be scarring."

"I can't help but find it humorous that an _arch demon_ would find that scarring." I chuckled.

Xar smiled and finished eating. After he was done, he stood and snapped his fingers. The whole kitchen was cleaned up. Spotless. I smiled at him. "You know Xar, I love it when you come over. You save me the trouble of cleaning up."

"I need to leave. I have an appointment for torture to keep and a few souls to collect."

I rolled my eyes and hugged him goodbye, he ruffled Adrian's hair, and with a thunderous crack, he disappeared.

Derek looked at the spot where Xar used to be standing, then he looked at me. "This has got to be one of the most unusual mornings I've ever had."

I smiled and chuckled at his dumbfounded expression. "This is normal for me. For instance, one morning, about a week ago, Simon and Jace had spent the night. I woke up and the next morning, the furniture was on the ceiling and Jace and Simon were upside down and drinking coffee, acting like nothing happened." I laughed. "God, I thought wanted to kill them both."

Derek shook his head and walked over to me, giving me a quick kiss. I glanced over at Adrian and he had a smile in his face. I smiled back and went to pick him up. "You ready to go get your stuff, baby?"

He smiled even wider and nodded. We went and packed everything he had into the moving boxes, which sadly wasn't a lot. We brought it all back and I put his clothes away and left him to put his toys where he wanted, allowing him to make the room his.

Derek and I were lying on the couch and watching some old B movie when Adrian came out and crawled in between Derek and me, snuggling close. After a few minutes, he spoke up.

"I put everything away. I'm home."

I felt the tears well up. "Yes, you are baby. You're home."

He looked at Derek. "Since you love Chloe, are you going to be living here now?"

Derek glanced at me then back to Adrian. "If it's okay with you, then yes, I'll be living here."

Adrian smiled and nodded and snuggled closer. I smiled at Derek and kissed his cheek. I cuddled closer to my two werewolves and fell asleep, content and blissfully happy with how my life was taking a turn for the better.

**Like it? Love it? Hate it? Please, please review. I would like to know how I'm doing. What did you all think of the new threat? I tried to play it off like it was no big deal, but there are possible kidnappings in the future of this story. So, please review and tell me what you think.**


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